Promoting your credentials in faraway places: benefits and caveats of exporting your credentialing program abroad.

IN 2000, A SESSION AT THE annual educational conference of the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA), Washington, D.C., helped catapult the globalization of credentials to the top of the U.S. certification community's priority list. Co-presenters Jefferson Glassie, partner, Shaw Pittman, LLC, Washington, D.C., and JoAnne Scott, executive director, International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners, Falls Church, Virginia, used that organization's credential expansion into Australia as the basis to discuss legal issues involved in international credentialing.

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In subsequent years, NOCA conducted seminars and gathered and analyzed information on the international issues surrounding certification. This work resulted in a poll conducted in the summer of 2003 that further validated the need for certifying bodies to explore international opportunities. The poll indicated that approximately 66 percent of the 186 organizations that responded certified candidates in countries and regions such as Asia, Australia, Canada, Central America, Europe, and Mexico.

In fact, organizations that administer certification programs are in a unique position in the global marketplace to capitalize on new ventures and take advantage of new revenue sources. That's because credentials help certifying bodies establish a presence in countries where training and education are becoming top priorities in the private and government sectors. Certified public accountants, national certified counselors, and chartered financial analysts are only a few of the professional credentials that have wide international appeal. By establishing an international presence, certifying organizations help achieve their organizational missions, solidify their roles as experts in the industry (both nationally and internationally), develop new membership bases, and potentially benefit from new sources of revenue.

Clearly, international initiatives will continue to dominate the certification industry as the demand for international programs and expertise increases. But how do organizations new to the globalization race establish quality international programs that not only fulfill their organizational missions but also effectively use and contribute to their resources and overall strategic plans?

A clear-cut answer to this question does not exist. Effective international programs depend on variables the organization is able to control (such as budget and staff resources) and those it is unable to control (such as the business environment and global politics) as well as on sound strategies for program development. And while globalization may be the watchword of the certification industry, as new international markets emerge and certification programs are rushed to market, organizations face the pitfalls inherent in premature projects and incomplete planning. Fortunately, a better starting point is found in the knowledge and lessons learned of internationally experienced organizations representing different fields, membership sizes, operating budgets, and missions or visions. Following are some of their recommended strategies for developing effective international certification programs.

Be patient

Expanding certification programs into foreign markets is a complex undertaking that takes patience--and often requires that organizations revisit the basics of their credentialing programs.

Rely on established standards. The National Board for Respiratory Care, Lenexa, Kansas, established its credential (certified respiratory therapist, or CRT) based on the Standards for the Accreditation of Certification Programs developed by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA), NOCA's accrediting body. When an international group approached NBRC to export the credential, the leadership used those standards--which focus on ensuring that policies and procedures meet current industry standards and are psychometrically sound--as a guide to formulate the correct strategy.

Although the NBRC board of directors had discussed possible international projects, it was the strength of their credential and brand that brought international groups to them. "We did not push the NBRC credential into a new market or assume the position of industry expert," says Gary Smith, CEO and executive director of NBRC, immediate past-president of NOCA, and former NCCA chair. "Our role was educating others on the evolution of certification practices for our particular industry in the United States."

More than two years after talks began, NBRC has helped to create a coalition of seven Latin American countries that will administer an exam tailored to the respiratory care industry in that region. To educate the new coalition on NBRC's certification practices, Smith and other NBRC officials spent countless hours on consultations, negotiations, and research, while benefiting from the combined expertise of psychometricians, local health care professionals, cultural and subject-matter experts, and others to reach this point. According to Smith, the length and detail of the project was "well worth" the results: a psychometrically sound and effective exam.

Establish criteria for expansion. In 1993, leaders of the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE), Leesburg, Virginia, also found themselves investigating options for international expansion of their ASE-certified technician's credential. They embarked on the first of three international testing attempts in Canada. Bill Kersten, ASE senior vice president of operations and NOCA president-elect, believes that the incremental plan eased board members' reservations regarding expansion.

"When we were initially approached by members of the Canadian automotive industry, we quickly worked toward administering one series of ASE's 47 exams," Kersten explains. "Unfortunately, we learned too late in the process that our Canadian partners did not have full cooperation from each provincial government--a key set of stakeholders--and the project suffered."

Whether an organization is approached or initiates the project, first steps to launching successful international programs should not be rushed and should include 1) evaluation of current organizational resources and 2) full disclosure of the resources needed for a successful venture. After its experience in Canada, ASE established a new globalization model that included

* working with a coalition of stakeholders (for ASE these stakeholders include automobile dealer associations, vehicle manufacturers, government representatives, and service technician associations);

* defining with the volunteer leadership the dedication of financial resources and potential revenue involved in expansion;

* evaluating the staff resources required to establish and administer the program; and

* determining what is a sound and viable venture.

Deliberately explore expansion. Similar to NBRC and ASE, the National Board for Certified Counselors, Greensboro, North Carolina, was approached by international groups before it began its currently active foreign agenda. However, unlike the groups profiled earlier, NBCC has taken a deliberate approach to international expansion by fostering an organizational environment open to globalization. It has acknowledged the sensitive issues that organizations encounter in international markets by electing a diverse board that regularly investigates international opportunities.

"NBCC's board of directors is adventurous and actively participates in international conferences, joins staff on trips around the globe, and meets with interested parties," says Susan Eubanks, associate executive director of NBCC and NOCA president. "The nature of counseling and the openness of our board to outside opportunities make it considerably easier for NBCC to remain true to its mission and still explore and execute expansion." As a result of the group's efforts, countries such as China, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Romania, and others in Africa and South America use NBCC standards for the national certified counselor and the global career development facilitator programs as a basis for their own programs.

Using the board of directors to assess the international landscape can determine legitimate leads and help establish a network with potential international partners. However, launching international programs before educating yourself, your staff, and leadership on the variables involved drastically reduces your opportunity for success and makes international expansion risky.

Review financial risks

The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence learned from its bumpy attempt in Canada that an international credential does not guarantee a lucrative source of revenue. The association now bases the decision to approve or disapprove a request to export their program to other countries on these additional criteria: 1) their service industry will benefit from the ASE program; 2) existing ASE staff will be able to handle the additional tasks related to developing a new program administered outside the United States--and in another language; and 3) ASE will be able to show at least some financial gain for its efforts through a licensing agreement.

Certifying organizations have different operational and financial models open to them when considering international expansion, including but not limited to

* Licensing. The certifying organization signs a licensing agreement for its examination allowing a foreign entity to administer the exam.

* Coalition. The certifying organization works with aligned international organizations to create a coalition or federation that implements the certification program.

* Program retention. The certifying body maintains all aspects of the certification program as a U.S.-based operation.

The solution for ASE and other similar groups has been to help establish a foreign-based, financially sound entity and then license the certification examination to that entity. In 1996, with the assistance of major industry constituent groups, ASE established ASE-Brazil to manage the operation of its Brazilian program. ASE licensed its exam to the organization and worked with cultural and subject-matter experts to localize the exam. ASE-Brazil handles all exam administration logistics.

According to Kersten, the creation of the licensed organization helped ASE avoid the pitfalls that it experienced earlier when trying to administer the examination from its domestic headquarters in Leesburg, Virginia. For example, language barriers and the fact that candidates work with different automobiles are no longer problems. The licensing option also draws less on the current employees and operational budget, since ASE-Brazil is staffed and run independently from ASE.

The National Board for Respiratory Care established a similar licensed entity in Latin America, allowing Gary Smith's group leeway to conduct international business without overextending the resources needed to provide support for U.S. certificants. Establishing licensed entities can not only help preserve the financial security of the organization, but also it may eliminate the perception of an aggressive U.S. machine pushing its product to an unsuspecting audience, while opening the door for new, international organizations to build on existing experiences and expertise.

Consider cultural consequences

A common pitfall of globalization is not fully understanding the culture of the target country or region. This often translates into a failure to localize the exam and program to the education and skill levels, official language, and business environment of the targeted country. Hence, as a certifying body examines its own resources to determine the viability of a global opportunity, it must also research the culture and the profession's place in the culture.

The National Commission for Certifying Agencies requires that organizations applying for third-party accreditation of their certification programs conduct a thorough job analysis to determine the core competencies that the certification requires and the education and training required to achieve an acceptable knowledge level for each of the job's tasks. When the National Board of Respiratory Care and its partnering Latin American coalition conducted a job analysis of respiratory therapists in the region, they determined that the candidates' education level did not match that of U.S. candidates due to the lack of continuing education and training.

"It was simply not fair to test candidates using an exam [designed for individuals with better training opportunities] without consulting content experts in the region to adapt the exam to the local skill level," Smith says.

Subject-matter or content experts play an important role in developing and administering exams internationally. NBRC (an allied health organization) used content experts and translators to ensure that the exam tested the skills needed to perform the job in that country based mostly on the current education and training level.

The automotive group's content experts focused less on the training candidates received and more on the specifics of the vehicle fleet. And before employing experts to review the translation of the exam items, the organization used them to determine if U.S. exams could be adapted to fit the target country's fleet or if new tests had to be developed from scratch.

The old saying, "The devil is in the details," applies nicely to globalization. International projects can quickly derail if the parties involved do not pay attention to cultural details, such as understanding the local economy or conducting business on an international clock. Based on location, nine-to-five may not work; 24-hour availability may be necessary.

Resist modeling unique programs

The credentialing industry is constantly reinventing itself. A strategic plan may come together successfully for one organization and prove ineffective or even destructive for another. Globalization of credentialing programs is a perfect example. The process of establishing a licensed entity and employing content experts to localize and translate an exam worked for several of the organizations in this article, but for the Association for Investment Management and Research, Charlottesville, Virginia, globalization meant controlling as many factors as possible to preserve the value and strength of the chartered financial analyst (CFA) designation.

AIMR administers nearly 100,000 exams annually in 83 countries. All exams are given in English, all logistics of the exam administration and development are staffed at AIMR headquarters, and all content aspects of the credential are identical worldwide. Many association leaders would be delighted if their international certification programs could mirror their current domestic programs as AIMR's does. However, they shouldn't count on it. According to Jan Squires, vice president of examination development for the CFA program, internationalization of AIMR's designation may be unique because of the industry it serves.

Squires says, "The investment profession is increasingly global and based on international markets where English is the predominant language and the skills required to conduct business successfully are not geocentric." She adds, "International financial epicenters such as Zurich, London, and Singapore logically became some of the first international exam sites. From those beginnings, AIMR leadership initiated a more formal globalization business model that preserved those fundamentals of the U.S. exam and designation that represented the knowledge and skills necessary for an analyst to work anywhere on the globe. At the same time, the model systematically built non-U.S. perspectives into all the key CFA program processes."

Don't expect a silver bullet 

Clearly, some of the best minds in the certification business are addressing globalization--and doing it in different ways. In an ideal world, certifying bodies would have access to the exact formula needed to successfully globalize their program. Instead, a dominant theme has emerged among certification programs that have already made or are making the leap to international credentialing: Determine the value of your program internationally the same way you determined its value domestically.

Whether establishing a certification program at home or abroad, the same motivating factors apply and can be adjusted according to the country. To determine program viability, conduct detailed analyses and have discussions with all relevant stakeholders. This exercise might lead to the conclusion that the certification is beneficial to the country, individual, or industry; it provides value; and it promotes the mission and vision of the industry or organization. If it does not, you may not be ready to expand or international expansion may not be right for your program at all.

At the end of the day, while analyzing the landscape and evaluating the experience of others sometimes creates more questions than answers, such investigation may result in ideas that will strengthen your existing program. And it may even lead you to the conclusion that your organization is, in fact, ready to take its credentialing program on a long-distance journey.

RELATED ARTICLE: Consider International Counterparts When Globalizing Programs

Certification professionals in the United States are often concerned about the perception of U.S.-led expansion efforts into international markets, specifically those that involve their international counterparts in credentialing and licensing professions in other countries. Counterpart organizations may resent U.S. groups that appear to be pushing their credential into the country without considering the local business or industry culture. According to Peter Bennett, managing director, QuestionBank Management, Ltd., based in the United Kingdom, and lan Morris, director of the Global Recognition Agency in Australia, to avoid the perception that U.S. organizations are overstepping their bounds, managers of certification programs should consider the following issues when planning an international program:

1. Avoid being too prescriptive in nature. Bennett argues that often U.S. programs are too narrowly focused and do not meet the needs of a maturing international industry. "No one doubts that U.S. experts have established quality best practices, but in reality, they may be five years ahead of the rest of the world. Flexibility in practice and procedure will help facilitate industry growth." Bennett stresses that not only should certifying bodies avoid a narrow focus, but also service providers (such as testing companies) need to assess the international industry before suggesting a course of action typical to the U.S. certification industry.

2. Use local resources to champion your program. Direct cooperation and collaboration with local professional bodies and industry groups is absolutely required to help streamline a complex process and avoid costly or embarrassing mistakes.

3. Ask yourself if the certification is appropriate for the target country or region. Both Bennett and Morris agree that evaluating the need for your organization's credential is a necessary initial step. "Do not simply push your credential into the region, market it and your organization's expertise, and then determine if it is a mutually beneficial fit," says Bennett. "If it is not a beneficial fit, you will save valuable financial and organizational resources if you do your homework first."

4. Speak the language of your customer. "In England, the cut score is called the pass mark, proctors are called invigilators, and psychometricians do not exist in the certification vocabulary of either England or Australia," Bennett explains. "Using the correct language becomes increasingly important when developing business contracts and other official documents."

5. Put your money where your mouth is. Professionals practicing in the certification industry have considerable knowledge and experience that is relevant to improving not only in-country standards of practice but also standards on a global scale. According to Bennett, without countries investing in new markets, improved global standards will never reach their potential. Do not disregard regions or countries if they do not currently have the financial resources or infrastructure your organization may feel are necessary.

The advantages of international cooperation are important to review relative to your existing program, says Morris. "The United States is a very large market for the employment of properly credentialed international professionals," he says. "If international cooperation between credentialing groups exists, both regions have access to potential employees with skills consistent with a global workforce as well as an increased share of a huge market of potential certification candidates."

RELATED ARTICLE: Long-Distance Legal Issues

What legal issues have an impact on the international expansion of certification programs? Organization leaders considering such expansion would be wise to investigate the answers to the following legal questions taken from International Legal Issues for Nonprofit Organizations, by Jefferson C. Glassie (1999, ASAE):

1. If your organization is classified as a Section 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6) organization, are your proposed credentialing activities consistent with that tax-exempt status?

2. Is a due-process procedure in place for qualifying international candidates?

3. Have you adopted procedures to minimize the risk of negligence claims for the international programs? Be aware that associations sponsoring certification programs may be subject to liability in connection with actions brought by third parties on the grounds that the association was negligent in sponsoring or conducting a credentialing program or that the association negligently misrepresented the benefits of the program.

4. If your program is accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, have you considered potential implications of international programs on your current accreditation status?

5. Will the designation that your organization offers be considered an international, U.S., or local country designation? (For example, will the certification specify "International Certification in Respiratory Care," "National (U.S.) Certification in Respiratory Care," or "Swiss Certification in Respiratory Care"?)

6. Have you taken adequate measures to protect your designation, service mark, and name, such as by registering the marks in other countries?

7. Have you taken into account laws, regulations, and professional practices already in existence in the other country or region?

8. Have you assessed security issues in the other country or region? Remember that the security of your examinations is critical to the integrity of the certification process. Any missing, stolen, or copied exam booklets, answer sheets, and so forth, can have a severe impact on the integrity of the process.

9. Have you engaged local counsel to provide advice on legal issues concerning structural, corporate, tax, and other issues related to the proper development and administration of the program internationally?

10. Have you considered reciprocity of your credential among nations?

11. Have you established a country-specific code of ethics or are you using a U.S.-based code of ethics?

12. Have you adopted disciplinary procedures appropriate to the other country?

Wade Delk is the executive director of the National Organization for Competency Assurance and an association executive at SmithBucklin Corporation, both in Washington, D.C. E-mail: [e-mail].